Say ‘HELLLOOOOOO!’ to a ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Broadway Musical

You can’t throw a rock on the Great White Way without hitting the marquee of a Broadway show based on a movie. Current offerings include Aladdin, The Band’s Visit, Frozen, Kinky Boots, Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, and School of Rock. More movie-to-theater adaptations keep getting added all the time and here is another: A Mrs. Doubtfire musical.

Playbill reports that four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks will direct a Doubtfire show based on the beloved Robin Williams dramedy (itself inspired by the novel Alias Madame Doubtfire):

The musical will be penned by the Tony-nominated creators of Something Rotten!: John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick (book) and Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick (music and lyrics). Casting, additional creative team, and a production schedule will be announced at a later date. These artists mark a full shift from the creative team that was announced in 2015: Tony Award winners Alan Menken, David Zippel, and Harvey Fierstein, who appeared in the Golden Globe-winning film.

The original Doubtfire film was released in 1993 to critical acclaim and astonishing box office; it was the second-biggest film of the year behind only Jurassic Park. Various attempts were made through the years to develop a sequel; as recently as 2014 a new script was in development, but those plans were dashed with Williams’ death later that year. Williams leaves big shoes (and whipped cream face mask) to fill for whatever actor gets cast in that lead role. But the material sounds like a slam dunk for a Broadway show, particularly in an environment where stuff like Pretty Woman and Groundhog Day have already made the leap.